An electronic device can include several modes for providing audio to a user. For example, a telephone (e.g., a cellular telephone) can include a ring mode and a silent mode. When the ring mode is enabled, incoming communications requests may cause the device to output audio indicating the request to a user. In addition, system sounds (e.g., audio associated with inputs, such as key striking sounds) or application sounds (e.g., background music in a game application, or voice over help) can be provided. Similarly, sounds explicitly requested by a user, such as media playback audio (e.g., provided by a media streaming application or by a media application for playing back locally stored media) can be provided when the ring mode is enabled.
A user can switch from the ring mode to a silent mode to prevent the device from outputting some of the audio. For example, a user may not want the cellular telephone to provide an audible ring while in a meeting, but may instead want the cellular telephone to vibrate. In silent mode, no audio indicating an incoming communications request can be provided, but other non-audible processes can be used instead to indicate the communications request (e.g., a display indication, or a haptic indication). Similarly, some system sounds and application sounds provided in the ring mode can also be silenced in a silent mode. Some system sounds and application sounds, as well as sounds explicitly requested by the user, can however be provided. The system and application can qualify different sounds that they provide using different categories including, for example, categories that indicate whether a sound is silenced by the silent mode.
Other electronic devices, however, may have no need for a ring mode. In particular, notebook and desktop computers, which may not ring upon receiving a communications request, may not include ring and silent modes. Instead, these devices can include mute and un-mute modes. In an un-mute mode, all sounds generated by the device can be provided to a user. In particular, system sounds and application sounds can be provided using different routes (e.g., on-device speakers, through a line-out port, or through an audio jack). In a mute mode, no sounds generated by the device can be provided to the different routes for output. For example, the device may not send audio associated with the system or application to subroutines or processes associated with providing audio outputs.